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1
Place the lamb pieces in a wide, heavy-bottomed pot. Pour the cold milk over the meat. Add the bay leaves, the tied herb bundle, and the strip of lemon zest. Set over low heat and bring the milk and lamb up to a bare simmer together, slowly. The milk will appear white and fully liquid; no steam should rise aggressively. The correct state is a surface that trembles but does not roll.
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2
Maintain the gentlest possible simmer throughout braising — this is where the dish lives or dies. Milk boils over and scorches at the slightest inattention; the heat must remain low enough that only an occasional bubble breaks the surface. Cook uncovered, turning the lamb pieces every fifteen to twenty minutes and skimming any foam that rises, until the milk has reduced to roughly one third of its original volume and clings to the lamb in a pale, slightly curdled coating. The lamb is done when the meat yields entirely without resistance when pressed with a spoon.
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3
Remove and discard the bay leaves, herb bundle, and lemon zest. The sauce will appear pale and lightly separated — this is the intended result, not a failure. Season with fine sea salt only now. If enriching with egg yolk, pull the pot entirely off heat, wait one minute, then stir in the beaten yolk. The sauce will tighten slightly and take on a faint yellow cast; it should coat the back of a spoon.
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4
Arrange the lamb pieces on a warmed serving dish. Spoon all of the reduced milk sauce over and around the meat. Scatter fresh mint leaves over the surface if using. The finished dish is pale white and gold, the sauce a thin, herb-perfumed curd clinging to each piece.